After a stellar start to his AFL season, Collingwood's Dale Thomas has issued himself the challenge of producing heroics for the long haul.

Thomas has been excellent in the premiers' flag defence so far this season.

It was exemplified again by a best-afield performance marrying flair and workrate in Collingwood's weekend win over West Coast.

Thomas booted two superb goals, took a high-flying mark, worked himself to a standstill in a variety of positions and was name-checked for excellence post-match by coach Mick Malthouse.

All in all, a brilliant day's work for a high draft pick more noted for flashiness than graft in previous years.

Plenty are queueing to claim he has now risen into the competition's elite - the latest St Kilda coach Ross Lyon who says he's the best player currently in the AFL.

But Magpies skipper Nick Maxwell said the 23-year-old was marking himself harder than that, and had set himself a personal goal of week in, week out quality to prove he was elite.

"Over the past six weeks his form would say he is up there, and he is challenging everyone who is up there," Maxwell said.

"By his own admission, it's something that he wants to do consistently over the next few years.

"(He wants to) make sure that he is a good player for a long time - like the best players in the competition are, like Chris Judd and those type of players."

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